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Monday, January 30, 2017

I went to a few Bealls Outlet stores recently and spotted the motherload of OPIs from collections as far back as the Germany Fall 2012 collection. Bealls Outlet is the outlet of Bealls which I'd compare to a Kohls. Bealls Outlet is like a Ross, but I think they have better finds especially when it comes to beauty items. I know Bealls stores are in FL, GA, and AZ, but they have a sister store called Burke's which I believe are more widespread?

I hauled a handful of old OPIs from Bealls Outlet a few weeks ago for $4 a pop! That's a steal considering these colors are not discontinued and still sell at retail for around $10. One of the colors I picked up was this color from the 2015 Hawaii collection.

Hello Hawaii Ya?

Hello Hawaii Ya? is a dusty purple-gray creme.

Collection: OPI Hawaii Spring/Summer 2015

Color: I love how perfectly dusty and muted this color is. I miss dusty colors and they're a color I see myself gravitating toward this upcoming spring. The color is rich and muted, but it's still a color I think is fresh and unique.

Formula: This had a great formula. It was smooth and easy to use. I used 2 coats above.

Price: I paid $4 for it at Bealls Outlet, if you have one of those near you or a Burke's Outlet be sure to check it out! I know this retails for $10, but you may also be able to find it on e-tailers for less.

Overall: I really am enjoying this shade from OPI. This shade didn't catch my eye two years ago, but it did now. It shows that my tastes are ever evolving with nail polish. I often find myself going back and purchasing shades I "poo-pooed" when they first were released. This is a great color that is unique and pretty.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

I stopped by Five Below recently and was once again sucked into some Fresh Paint polishes. I really enjoy this brand. I think they make excellent cremes and I really have enjoyed most all of the polishes I have purchased. I also love that they're 3 for $5 at Five Below. You can't beat that. I picked up this color during my recent visit.Splash of Cran

Splash of a Cran is a cranberry creme.

Color: No, I know this color isn't original, but I think it's pretty awesome. I love this pinky/purple red creme. It's a classic and very put-together color. It's one of those shades that is flattering and looks great with anything. I love the creaminess of this shade. I know many reds can be more jelly-like than a creme, but this is definitely a creme!

Formula: This had a great and easy to use formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: This was I believe $1.99 individually, but why pay for one when you can get 3 for $5 at Five Below.

Overall: This is an excellent classic type shade with a great price. I love this type of color and it had a great formula. I know this isn't unique enough for many, but I enjoy it! I think it's a great color for this time of year.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

I have new to me brand to share with you today. I spotted this brand recently at the Christmas Tree Shop (which is owned by Bed Bath & Beyond). What I've learned is this brand was created by the founder of Sinful Colors. The name "Kokie" derives from the Korean word for elephant, hence the logo. The display was pretty impressive and I think they probably had around 100 colors. This color caught my eye!

All The Envy

All The Envy is a jade green creme.

Collection: Kokie Cosmetics Core

Color: I'm not normally green polish person, but I love this color. This is a true rich jade green. It's a really chic green that I think is very flattering. I love the saturation and creaminess of this color.

Formula: This had an excellent formula. I used 2 coats above and it applied very smoothly. I really liked everything from the formula to the brush.

Price: This was $5.99 at the Christmas Tree Shop this is also available at select Bed Bath & Beyond stores with the expanded cosmetics section and on their website. I'm not sure how I feel on the price. It's clearly more affordable than mainstream brands, but I wish it were just a little cheaper. They're better quality and a better shade range than Sinful Colors, but I don't think it is very competitive at the $5.99 price. I wish they were $3.99. I'd haul more at that price!

Overall: I really was impressed and enjoyed this polish by Kokie Cosmetics. I think the shade range and this color, in particular, were excellent. The formula was on point. I'd shop this brand again. I wish the price was just a teeny bit cheaper but other than that I have no complaints.

Friday, January 20, 2017

I have an ILNP polish to share with you today that has been on my wishlist for a long time. I finally got around to getting it in a gift exchange last fall. Who doesn't love rose gold? I sure love it but it can be a bit of tricky color for me. If it's too warm it doesn't really do wonders for my skin tone, but finding the right rose gold can be difficult. Rose and gold are warmer tones, so I'm already at a disadvantage. How will Juliette fair for me?

Juliette

Juliette is a holographic rose gold with metallic flakes.

Collection: ILNP Winter 2015Color: I think this rose gold works for me alright. It maybe a touch too warm, but overall I do really like it. I love metallic flake polishes so this is what I was drawn to instantly when I was oogling over this color over a year ago. I don't know if this finish really works out for me, though. It's all glitter particles without a color base. It doesn't look really smooth or cohesive on my nails because of this and I wish it had some sort of base going on.

Formula: This formula on this was OK. I think because it is all glittery particles it makes it harder to apply cleanly and smoothly. I used 3 coats above. It's not completely opaque, but close enough.

Price: This is $10 on the ILNP website.Overall: I'm a bit disappointed with this polish. I think I had such high expectations for it and I had been wanting it for close to a year. I do love the color. I like the finish too, but the finish didn't work out too well application or look wise. I really wish there was some sort of colored base or even a shimmer base in this to give it a cleaner more complete look on the nail. It's not a bad polish and I really think these issues I have with it are more about my personal preference than what most people would feel about it.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

I have another Vegas at Night polish from Bohemian Polish to share with you today. I have enjoyed this collection of the ones I have tried so far. In fact, Flamingo made it into my Top 25 of 2016. I love that these are blackened shimmers. This is not a finish I've seen in nail polish lately and I'm happy to see it revisited. This next color is great as well.

Aria

Aria is a blackened blue base with a bright icy blue shimmer.

Collection: Bohemian Polish Vegas at Night 2016

Color: What happened to colors like these? I love the deepened bases with the bright contrast of shimmer. This is a beautiful blue and I love the richness of this shade.

Formula: This had a great and easy to use formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: This is $10.00 and can be purchased on Bohemian Polish's etsy site.

Overall: Aria is a beautifully rich and deep color. I love the contrast of the bright shimmer against the deep base. The formula is on point and I have nothing really else to add or any complaints!

Monday, January 16, 2017

I have another polish from the new to me brand O-My Jewels to share with you today. You know what I've noticed lately outside of my nude and neutrals obsession? I think I'm backing off a bit on glitter. I know, I know. Glitter is one of the reasons I fell in love with polish in the first place, but lately, I've been gravitating toward cremes. I'm really into clean and simple nails/nail color these days. This O-My Jewels color fits the bill.Patience

Patience is a neutral gray creme.

Color: Gray can sometimes be a tricky color for me. If it's too warm toned it doesn't look great on me, but this one is nice. It's really a true neutral tone it's not warm or cool it's right in between. I love this medium shade of great too because not only is it neutral it's not too dark or too light!

Friday, January 13, 2017

I have a Zoya polish to show you that is from 10 years ago! I haven't owned it for 10 years, but when looking it up I found out it was released in 2007. I purchased this one during Zoya's recent Black Friday sale. I was looking for muted and neutral colors to try out since I'm into those colors now and need more in my collection. This color caught my eye and I'm really glad I purchased it.

Coco

Coco is a dusty marsala mauve creme with brown, red, and purple undertones.

Collection: Zoya Upton Collection 2007

Color: Marsala was the Pantone color of the year in 2015, so this is a little late, but I love this color. In my opinion this a very wearable and neutral red shade. Sometimes, I don't like wearing red because it will clash with what I'm wearing (I'm weird like that), but this a red I could wear with anything. It's soft enough to read more as a neutral. I love the muted and dustiness of this shade!

Formula: This had a nice formula. I did find I needed 3 coats for full opacity, but no application issues.

Overall: I don't have any colors like this in my collection and I'm really glad to have Coco now. It really is a great neutral tone that unique in comparison to other colors in this spectrum. The formula is nice and I don't have any complaints!

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

I have one of the polishes from the new Sally Hansen Color Therapy collection. This Color Therapy line includes argan oil that nourishes and moisturizes nails. It's not only a nail polish, but a treatment too. I can't make claims on the treatment factor. I use a treatment base coat by Sally Hansen's called Nail Rehab Rx as a base coat already, so my nails have been in good shape prior.

I will say, I don't normally test out wear time before I swatch them for the blog. There are just too many factor that can contribute to that, however, this polish has some serious staying power. I was really impressed. This may not be the case for everyone (the whole many factors part), but it certainly caught my eye.

Steely Serene

Steely Serene is a medium putty (grey-nude-purple) creme.

Collection: Sally Hansen Color Therapy 2017

Color: I LOVE this color. You know I'm still on the nude-neutral train and this is an amazing neutral shade. It's a very chic and flattering color. I could easily wear this all the time and it would go with everything and always look classy.

Formula: This had a smooth and easy to apply formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: I paid around $7-$8 for this at Target.

Overall: This wore like iron on me as well as another color from the line. I got around 6 full days of wear time with this without any chips. No chips at all. I had some tip wear and my nails grew out a bit on the bottoms, but no chips! I was shocked and very impressed. That on top of the gorgeous color and formula makes this a great polish. I highly recommend this color or at least trying a polish from this line.

Monday, January 9, 2017

I've been dabbling in mainly nude and neutral shades lately that I don't' want my blog to get drab! I have a bright color to share with you today from Zoya. I stocked up on Zoya during the Black Friday sale back in November and this color caught my eye as one I needed to add to my collection.

Dixie

Dixie is a watermelon red creme.

Collection: Zoya Sunsets Collections Summer 2016

Color: These is such a fun juicy summery red shade. I love reds like Dixie. This is a perfect blend of red and pink and it's so bright and vibrant. It's not a neon shade, but it definitely pops on your nails. This is a type of shade I think would be flattering on most and makes a great statement for spring, summer, or now when we're in the doldrums of winter.

Formula: This had an excellent formula. I used 2 coats. I've noticed Zoya has had an improvement in formula over the past 2-3 years. They used to be hit or miss with me, but lately, I haven't had any misses.

Thursday, January 5, 2017

I was really excited when I heard about some of the nail polishes in Wet n' Wild's recent Sequins & Stardust Holiday 2016 collection. As we all know the drugstore has been incredibly lackluster in the nail polish department as of late. I actually had a hard time finding the polishes from this collection at first and almost ordered them. I eventually found them, and I'm glad I didn't go through the trouble of ordering them 😑. I have one of those colors to share with you today.

I Dream of Jean Genie

I Dream of Jean Genie is a denim blue creme with gold microglitter.

Collection: Wet n' Wild Sequins & Stardust Holiday 2016

Color: When I saw bottle shots of this color and even the bottle itself I knew this was going to be a must have for me. I love blue and I love gold. This is one of those polishes that looks better in the bottle than on the nail. The glitter in this just doesn't work it's too sparse and it does get drowned out by the base. A shimmer would have been better here. This type of glitter polish would be out of this world and acceptable back in 2010, but not today. This is pitiful.

Formula: The formula itself was good and easy to use. I used 2 coats above.

Price: This was $1.99 at CVS.

Overall: I'm really let down by this, and I understand with a price that low I shouldn't really complain. Wet n' Wild is capable of much better, though. I hate fake out polishes too. This looks stunning in the bottle but so puny on the nail. Blech. I'm disappointed.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

* I received 4 of these polishes exchange for my honest review. I purchased the other 4 in this collection.

I have the new KBShimmer Office Space collection to share with you today. This collection will be released tomorrow. I was really excited to hear KBShimmer was releasing this because it's a collection of neutral shades. I'm all about nude and neutral colors and I'm happy to see indies starting to dabble in this shade range. I was only offered 4 polishes of these to review but decided to purchase the other 4 to complete the collection I was so excited about it. Let's get startedCaught On Tape

Caught On Tape is a pale mauve creme. (2 coats)Cubicle Pusher

Cubicle Pusher is a muted holographic grape shade. (2 coats)

Fax Of Life

Fax Of Life is dark platinum grey polish with a linear holo. (2 coats)A Hint Of Manila

Supplies Party is a warm cream shade loaded with metallic flakes and holo sparkle. (2 coats)

Take Back CTRL

Take Back CTRL is a dusty rose creme. (2 coats)

Collection: KBShimmer Office Space Winter 2017

Colors: I love this office space theme and the colors match it perfectly. This collection has a great mix of nude, neutral mauves, and gray/silver shades. I like the variety of neutrals offered in this collection. The variety of finishes is a plus too. My favorites in this collection are Cubicle Pusher, Take Back CTRL, A Hint of Manila, and Staple Relationship.Formulas: These all had great formulas. The cremes were spectacular and easy to use 2 coaters. The other formulas were great and easy to use. Makin' Copies was the only color that needed 3 coats for me for opacity, but the formula was still good.Price: These will be $9.25 each and are available on KBShimmer's website tomorrow!Overall: I'm very impressed and pleased with this collection. I love the theme and the colors. I forsee nude/neutral shades picking up more momentum in 2017 and I appreciate indies jumping on that bandwagon. This collection offers a variety of different types of nude/neutral shades and finishes to really suit every taste, skin tone, and occasion. I would really like to see a sequel of this collection or another nude/neutral collection from KBShimmer later on because I can't get enough of colors like these!